St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-09-17

ritf-raff of Canton were summarily cuffet
and rattaned by Chinese officials if they
ventured to intrude.
Of the great English firms, that of Jar
dine, Matheson & Co. was the most prom
inent, from the immensely of their trade
generally, but more especially from thei
transactions in opium, that forbidden
fruit of the Chinese government, which
i'll fact, more than any other question
really brought on the first war with Eng
land. No doubt the imperial govern
ment was sincere in its endeavOrs to pro
hibit opium, so dreadful and demoraliz
ing in its effects upon the people, and
equally determined was the British gov.
eminent to back up its own subjects in
forcing the drug down the Threats of the
Chinese. When the foreign merchants
generally agreed to give up the opium
to be destroyed at Boca Tigres, as was
done, the house of Jardine, Matheson &
Co. only gave up small portion of what
they held in store, and very soon
afterward they sold out an immense
amount, which had cost them only $3.50
a chest, for $1,000 chest-a profit to
them of about eight hundred per cent.
Many strange stories were told beside of
the dark transactions of this unprinci-
pied firm. One story was true. Mexi-
can dollars were at a discount in Canton
OF about ten per cent, while the Spanish
CarOlus dollars bore premium of fifteen
per cent. Jardine, Matheson & Co. had
a powerful press imported from England,
with dies of the Spanish dollar. Their
Mexican dollars in large quantities, at a
heavy discount, were then run through
this press and came out stamped Carolus
dollars, making about twenty-five per
cent. profit on this nice little swindle.
Of the great American houses, Russell
d Co. stood the foremost. the founder
of the house, Mr.. Russell, of New London,
Conn, having retired early in the CEN
fury with a large fortune. His name
continued to distinguish it, although no
one of the same name remained in it.
| Other notable merchants afterward with
it were Mr.. Nathan Appleton, of Boston,;
Mr.. Gushing, of Watertown, Mass; Paul
| S. Forbes, the Kings, of Newport; the
Delanos, of New York; the Lows of
Brooklyn; the Heards and Endicotts, of
Salem, and many others, most of whom
made immense fortunes. Mr.. Gushing
made the most. He spent twenty years
in China with Russell & Co., and retired
about 1885 with $2,000,000. The little
den in which he worked all the time was
only about ten feet square and was
always shown to strangers visiting the
house, Wetmore & Co. also did an i'm
mense business and acquired enormous
wealth, the present Governor Wetmore,
of Rhode Island, being son of the
founder of the house Other great firms
like Olyphant & Co. were distinguished
for enterprise, sagacity and strict COM
mercial integrity.
Under the old regime, before the war,
all business between the foreigners and
the Chinese was obliged to be carried on
with a corporation of native traders
styled "Cohong," and more widely
There were only some twelve to fifteen of |
them, and they were all bound for each |
others debts. Business with them was |
considered absolutely safe from risk, and
failure among themselves was very |
rare indeed. At their head was the cele-
brated Howqua. He would have been
eminent as a merchant in any country
He was a man of most precise and |
methodical habits, of untiring industry,
great foresight and remarkable liberalty
He presented one merchant of Philadel.
phia on leaving China with 100000. His
various hongs and packing-houses on the
river could always be distinguished from
their superior neatness of build. He lived
to be over eighty years of age, winning
the generation of all foreigners, and dy-
ing about the period of the war. His de-
scendants, inheriting his vast wealth and
business, are now probably among the
richest individuals ON earth
Samqua, one of the Cohong, was
another very eminent man. He was re-
handsome, of elegant manners
and spoke English quite tluently. His
great tea hong, below the foreign facto-
ries, was 200 feet long, with apartments
On the river for the reception of foreigners
tilted up in superb Chinese style. Sam
lua, after left China, went into the gov
eminent service, became mandarin, and
vas appointed the ''tautai'' or project of
Shanghai. Of other distinguished men,
'ers of the Cohong were Lincheong, Pun
loyqua, Gowqua, Luequa and Pontinqua,
Who was also mandarin. Punhoyqua's
purser" or foreman rejoiced in the
lame of the "Fat Boy" among the for
igners, and always answered readily to i
t. He was very sociable and sometimes
anne in at dinner when dessert was being
erved and drank glass of wine Pom
lnqua's purser, Shinqua, was the jolliest |
f mortals, overwhelmingly polite, and ,
lways said graciously on parting with I
isitor, "You hab number one good /
cad" :
Visits to these great hongs were al ..
rays full of interest, and an inspection !
f Pontinqua's gardens and country l
euse mile or two north of Canton was a
0mething to be remembered for life. 9
very imaginable freak of Chinese gar
ening was here carried out at immense j.
ost. The grounds were very extensive
nd in great part flooded with water, in n
hich were growing acres of the beauti u
IL "nymphea nelumbo," or sacred lotus, a
he mystic flower of the East. Here g
ny one could see the landscape of the =
ue China plate fully represented; the
1mmer houses on useless islands, r
ridges accessible only by boats, trees Il
licking out of barren rocks, bam- Q
30 pathways beginning every j
here and leading to nothing, puz- =
es in planted shrubs, dwarfed =
onstrosities in orange trees, lahyrinths IL
re mines under fortresses, and every G
her conceit which wealth could create d
III |